AHMADIYYA MOVEMENT IN ISLAM : THE REVIVAL OF TRUE ISLAM - MEANS “PEACE”

Written by: Deeba Chaudhry
Source:  Calgary Ahamdiyya Muslim Examiner

It is this very blessed life which the Promised Messiah^(as) was granted. The Promised Messiah^(as) made heart-felt supplications for the rejuvenation and superiority of Islam. He fought a four-sided war with the enemies of Islam. He did such justice to his Jihad of the pen, that at every front he thwarted all attacks of the enemies of Islam, and with the succour of the holy spirit, Islam was granted dominance and victory in every field. How beautifully the Promised Messiah^(as) has stated:

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Movement in Islam was founded by Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian in 1889. It was foretold by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (may peace of Allah be on him) that in the latter days when moral and spiritual values would be in decline among the Muslims, The Messiah and Mahdi would appear and revive Islam. He would present Islam in its original purity and beauty and would establish the superiority of Islam over all other faiths. It was also prophesied by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (may peace of Allah be on him) that through the Promised Messiah Islam would spread to the western world also. Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian claimed that he was the Messiah and the Mahdi as had been prophesied by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (may peace of Allah be on him).

  is ironical indeed that a Movement that advocates peace among religious persons and that, of course, is the meaning of the name of the religion of Islam should have been deprived of its freedom of worship and belief and sense of mission in the country of origin as well as elsewhere in the world of Islam. It is also a further irony of history that this other religion of peace should be so divided against itself. Today, the entire world views Islam as an aggressive and terrorist religion. Often, the killing of innocent people, suicidal bombings, and terrorist activities are carried out by people who claim to be Muslims, though in reality, the rebellious actions of these ignorant people have nothing to do with Islam. Rather, the real responsibility for these malicious and rebellious acts lies with the so-called scholars of Islam, who after the age of prophet hood and Khilafat, were gravely mistaken in understanding the issue of Jihad, considered the unjustified killing of human beings by sword a religious duty. These people, because of the distortion of their hearts, wrongly interpreting some of the Mutashabihat (complex and multifaceted) verses of the Holy Qur’an equated Islam Jihad to rebellion, and associated self-concocted imprudent beliefs to Islam. Hadhrat Aqdas, Promised Missiah (as) says: “Islam is such a religion, which does not need the support of sword for its propagation. Rather, the inherent excellences of its teachings, its truth, enlightenment, reasoning, arguments, and the active assistance of God the Exalted, the signs, and His personal attention are such matters that always drive its progress and propagation….The message of Islam does not need any compulsion for its propagation… To mention that the Ghazis (Islam veterans of wars) of the Frontier Region raise rebellion in the name of Jihad is an absurd thought, and it is nothing but foolishness and ignorance to call these rebellious people by the name of Ghazi. If an ignorant Muslim harbours even the least amount of sympathy for these people considering them performing Jihad, I tell the truth, that the one who calls a rebellious person ghazi, and praises those who bring a bad name to Islam is an enemy of Islam… In England, France and other European countries, Islam is very harshly criticized to have been spread by the use of force… The real truth is that this rebellion has been spread by the Maulvies (Islam Clerics), who are the unwise friends of Islam. They did not understand the reality of Islam and provided an opportunity to others to raise objections because of their connected beliefs. The beliefs connected by them greatly aided the Christians. If they had not deceived others about Jihad or misunderstood the meaning of Jihad, no one would have taken advantage of the opportunity to criticize Islam.” (Malfoozat, volume 3, p.176, 177).

It is the shelter for the misguided, helpless Muslims who are separated and weak. Allah has founded the Community that will unite them all under one banner and will be their source of strength and power. It is the remedy for the non-Muslims who do not know the true Islam. Allah has sent the Community whose members could present the true image of Islam in their person by following the teachings of the Holy Qur’an. Allah has raised the Community that will defend Islam and bring back its power and glory. All this could not be possible without a person sent by Allah and guided by Him to plant the seed of this Jama’at. The Arbiter and the Judge of this age, Hadrat Aqdas, the Promised Messiah (as) analyzing this issue of wrong interpretation of the Jhiad in depth and says: “Because of the failure to understand the philosophy of the issue of Jihad, and its reality, the people of this age as well as of the middle ages were gravely mistaken, and we have to admit with great embarrassment that their dangerous mistakes provided an opportunity to the opponents of Islam to criticize to pure and the holy religion like Islam, which is nothing but a reflection of the laws of nature, and a manifestation of the majesty of God.” (Roohani Khaza’in, vol.17 p.3)

Ahmadiyyat
   

‘We destroyed the enemy ranks with our argumentation;

We performed the work of the sword with our pen.’

The claim of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) is that God has raised him for the guidance and direction of mankind, that he is the Messiah foretold in the Traditions of our Holy Prophet (saw) and the the Mahdi promised in his Sayings; that the prophecies contained ill the different religious books about the advent of a Divine Messenger in the latter days have also been fulfilled in his person; that God has raised him for the advocacy and promulgation of Islam in our time; that God has granted him insight into the Holy Quran, and revealed to him its innermost meaning and truth; that He has revealed to him secrets of a virtuous life. By his work, his message, and his example, he has glorified the Holy Prophet and demonstrated the superiority of Islam over other religions. The purpose of his advent was that God’s love and concern for Islam should become manifest, that it preliminaries should become clear how improper it is to neglect God and to keep at a distance from Him. He claimed also that his coming had been foretold by almost all the prophets and founders of religions in the past. This, because the Holy Prophet of Islam had been sent by God as a teacher of all mankind. He was to collect mankind in one fold to unite them in one faith. If this design was to be fulfilled, it was necessary that national and traditional divisions and hatreds should be swept out of the way, so that the Holy Prophet (saw) could be accepted as the Seal of Prophets by all the peoples of the world. Therefore, under God’s design, the prophets and religious teachers of the past had each foretold his own second coming in the latter days. These prophecies pertained to a follower of the Holy Prophet, he was to be commanded by God to affirm and propagate the truth of the Holy Prophet, and was to unite the followers of different religions into an acceptance of Islam. He was to do so by declaring himself to be the Promised One of each religion. The prophecies in the books of other religions which foretold the coming a teacher all met their fulfilment in him. He was the Messiah for Christians and Jews, the Masiodarbahmi for the Zoroastrians, and Krishna for the Hindus. His coming in fulfilment of prophecies contained in the ancient books is evidence of his truth. As he himself is a witness of the religion of Islam, his coming is an invitation to the follwers of other religions to come and enter the universal brotherhood of Islam. It is impossible, that is to say, that God should grant a man a Book, give him wisdom and the rank of a prophet, and yet that such a person should teach man to abandon God and to obey him instead. Such a Messenger cannot but each people to obey God. Nor can such a person teach people to take the angels and prophets as Gods. It is impossible for anyone to persuade people to believe and yet make them disbelieve. The central question, therefore, when we are confronted with the fact of a claimant to divine leadership, is whether the leader’s claim is true. If his claim is found to be true, then all his teaching is true. If his claim is not found to be true, it is futile to examine his teaching in detail. Following this golden principle, I wish to examine the claim of the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam, so that anyone become acquainted with the grounds on which the claim stands, and because of which millions of people have already accepted him.

Today, in the footsteps of Hadrat Promised Messiah (as), and in his representation, his Holy Khalifah V, Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (aba), has taken up the flag in his hand of the grand movement to remove the notion raising sword in the name of religion. And he is consumed in the real Jihad of the propagation of the peaceful message of Islam in the entire world with the help and support of God the Exalted with great success and accomplishments in accordance with the teaching of the Qur’an, Ahadith (sayings of Muhammd (saw)), and the pure life of the Holy Prophet (saw), Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (aba), the present supreme head of Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat paid special attention towards it right from the beginning of his Khalifat, and repeatedly presented the peaceful teachings of Islam and the reality of Jihad in his sermons and addresses to the people of the Jama’at and oursiders. He also has drawn the attention of the members of the Jama’at to spread the message of the peace of Islam in the world. As per the guidance of Khaliftul Messih V, it is the duty of every member of Jama’at to fully partake in this grand scheme in the footsteps of our leader, and while exposing the internal enemies of Islam everyone should also invite others to enter the peaceful enclave of Islam, and continue dong it until the time that the world is ridden off every kind of wrong and unjustified killing, and is filled with justice, peace and friendship. Love for All, Hatred for None.

Ahmadiyyat is the name of a reinterpretation or a restatement of the Religion of the Holy Qur’an . It is restatement presented on the divine guidance by the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam. In order to displace the notion that the name of the Movement is a tribute to the egotism of the Promised Messiah (as). Why was it originally called the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam? In the words of the Promised Messiah: “The name which is appropriate for this Movement and which we prefer for ourselves is Muslims of the Ahmadiyya sect. We have chosen this name because the Holy Prophet, peace be on him, had two names, Muhammad and Ahmad; Muhammad was his name of glory and Ahmad was his name of beauty….God so arranged the life of the Holy Prophet, peace be on him, that his Meccan life was a manifestation of his name Ahmad and the Muslims were taught patience and endurance. In his life in Medina, his name Muhammad was manifested, and God in His wisdom decided to chastise his enemies. But there was a prophecy that the name Ahmad would be manifested again in the latter days and that a person would appear through whom the qualities of beauty, which characterize Ahmad, would be manifested, and all fighting would come to an end. For this reason it has been considered appropriate that the name of this sect should be Ahmadiyya sect, so that everyone hearing this name should realize that this sect has come into being for the spread of peace and security and that it would have nothing to do with war and fighting.”